DEKALB — Logan Tillmon didn’t know what to expect from her first season as a Division I college heptathlete.

Now that it’s almost over, she’s “satisfied.”

“I guess I have to be; although I know I can be better, and will be,” the competitive freshman at Northern Illinois said. “And it’s not over yet. If I get what I want at conference, then I’ll really be satisfied. But so far so good.”

The former East standout has not disappointed the two people who matter the most: “My coach, and myself. We’re happy with my progress, so I must be doing something.”

According to NIU head coach Connie Teaberry, Tillmon has “constantly racked up PRs” in every heptathlon event she’s participated in. The former high school hurdling and sprinting star who medaled five times at state, started her college career off on the right foot, finishing 12th in the pentathlon of the Mid-American Conference indoor championships in March.

Since then, the climb has continued, and last week Tillmon posted a personal-best 4,465 points while taking third at the Penn Relays. She had the best 200 time (25.39) of all the heptathletes, and the top shot put toss (36-feet-10 ½).

“Logan is definitely on track right now; she’s on track for some great things,” Teaberry said. “She’s made drastic improvements. And while she has room to grow in all of her events, she’s such a competitor that makes you believe she’ll get there.”

Claudette Day, another freshman for the Huskies, is ranked third in the MAC with a 4,829. The top score for a MAC heptathlete this season was 5,005, which Ohio University’s Chand Cuckler amassed during an early-April meet.

Right now, with one meet left in the regular season at Wisconsin on May 10, Tillmon is second on her team behind Day, and she’s ranked 79th in the NCAA West Region and 134th in the entire NCAA. Only the top 24 overall advance to the NCAA Championships, and right now, that’s a long shot for Tillmon. However, the future is bright, and she still has some work to do in the near-future.

“In the beginning my goals were just to qualify for the MAC, and to get all my personal bests while I’m there,” Tillmon said. “Now I’m in, and I’ve adjusted things a little. Now I want to medal at conference. After that, we’ll just take it one day, one event at a time and see what happens.”